


Beyond the Frozen Pines

by iamladyloki



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Arranged Marriage, Death God Kylo Ren, F/M, Goblin (kdrama) references, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Winternight Trilogy references, Witch Rey, mentions of pregnancy and birth, set in a historical time period but with Star Wars names, underage marriage (modern day)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamladyloki/pseuds/iamladyloki
Summary: In a cabin in the woods on the Hoth Mountain Range’s smallest mountain, a young mother sat in bed with her young daughter. The wind howled, bringing with it a vast winter storm. Snow and ice lashed against the windows. Come morning, there would be snow enough to trap them inside.But the fire crackled in the stove, and the mother and her daughter were curled up atop it, wrapped comfortably beneath fur and wool blankets.“Mama. Will you tell me about Papa?” the girl asked.“I will tell you about your Papa,” her mother said, slowly. Every year her daughter asked, and every year she denied her. Not this year. “You are old enough to listen to my tale.”And so the mother began.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56
Collections: To Rapture the Earth and the Seas: the 2020 Reylo Fanfiction Anthology





	Beyond the Frozen Pines

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: Frost.
> 
> First, this story is set in a fantastical version of our world, but centuries ago, like the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. However, since it is Star Wars, I used names from that universe rather than ones in our world. Fans of the Winternight Trilogy and the k-drama Goblin will see many references in this story. In fact, I listened to the Goblin score on repeat while writing. Especially "기억상실."
> 
> Regarding the warnings on this fic: Rey does enter an arranged marriage when she is a teenager, but does not sleep with him until she is older. It is only referenced, not described. There is a major character death, but everything is not as it seems...

In a cabin in the woods on the Hoth Mountain Range’s smallest mountain, a young mother sat in bed with her young daughter. The wind howled, bringing with it a vast winter storm. Snow and ice lashed against the windows. Come morning, there would be snow enough to trap them inside.

But the fire crackled in the stove, and the mother and her daughter were curled up atop it, wrapped comfortably beneath fur and wool blankets.

“Mama. Will you tell me about Papa?” the girl asked.

“I will tell you about your Papa,” her mother said, slowly. Every year her daughter asked, and every year she denied her. Not this year. “You are old enough to listen to my tale.”

The girl furrowed her brow. “Why now? Why not any of the other times?”

The mother closed her eyes and held her daughter tighter to her. “Because in order for me to tell you about your father, I have to tell you my story, and my story is not one for ears too young,” she said. “But I believe you can handle what I have to say, now.”

Her daughter said nothing, only stared with a mix of curiosity, trepidation, and eagerness.

And so the mother began.

* * *

Inside the stove, a pair of glowing red eyes, hot like burning coals, stared at Rey. Rey ripped a piece of the crust from the bread she’d been idly chewing and tossed it towards the Chyerti. The Domovoi snatched it up and devoured the crust in a flash.

Rey glanced over her shoulder to make sure her parents weren’t around before whispering, “I’m sorry, I can only offer you one more small piece.” It huffed, causing smoke to curl out from its lips, but accepted the piece of crust, nonetheless.

This Domovoi was her family’s household guardian. Rey learned when she was very young that most people stopped believing in Chyerti when Christianity arrived in their country, and souls were supposedly saved by no longer participating in “witchcraft.” No one else in her family could see the Domovoi, let alone the Leshy, Rusalka, Frost Demon, or other spirits. 

But Rey saw them and made sure to secretly give them offerings. They protected her family’s house, crops, barn, and the surrounding forest. Rey saw it all before: those families who no longer gave offerings to their Chyerti suffered crop failures, sick animals, and more inexplicable deaths. Since Rey could see them, it was up to her to protect her household and land.

Which was why she was absolutely gutted when her father said that they arranged a marriage between Rey and a nearby blacksmith named Unkar Plutt. Rey disliked the thought of marriage; men would trap her and she would no longer be able to speak her mind; the only benefit to marriage was the possibility of children, which Rey imagined having in the distant future. She would be wed in the fall, which was only a few short months away. They did not tell her why they were marrying her off so fast, but one evening, when they thought Rey was asleep in her bed above the stove, she overheard her father and step-mother talking in low voices.

“I dislike this. She only just turned thirteen,” her father said.

“You were fourteen when you married her mother,” her step-mother reminded him. “Besides, she’s being reckless. The village is beginning to suspect that she is a witch. We need her married before this begins to spread further and her reputation is destroyed.”

Rey’s heart clenched. She hadn’t been as careful as she’d thought she was. 

Dread settled deep into her soul. It took hours for Rey to fall asleep.

* * *

Rey and Unkar married that autumn, and Rey moved into Unkar’s home before the first frost.

Unkar was a short, heavyset man who was well known for his skills as a blacksmith. He had a no-nonsense, prideful personality, and had stern expectations for Rey. He expected her to master household chores that her other family members had done in the past, on top of ones she’d been tasked with in her childhood home--cooking, cleaning, and providing for her husband. 

It would be a few years until she was able to bear children. Until then, the house would be cold and empty; there was no Domovoi when Rey moved in, and the nearby Chyerti were fading and close to feral. 

Rey wondered how long her family’s Chyerti would last without any offerings. Would the Frost Demon pay a visit to her family in the winter to whisk away their souls without the Domovoi to protect them? She’d only seen him twice in her lifetime, but she knew this god of winter and death was one to both fear and respect.

Would it be possible for her to cultivate a Domovoi in this house if she gave it enough offerings? Perhaps. But it would have to be done subtly, without her husband knowing.

The first few years of her new life passed slowly. In that time, she did manage to cultivate a household Domovoi, which took up residence beneath the entryway, and tamed the feral Chyerti on their property. She caught a glimpse of the Frost Demon every winter, but heard no news of deaths from her family.

A few years later, Unkar brought up his desire to have children. Rey agreed; she did not love her husband, but she did wish to build her own family. Still, every month her blood came, which angered her husband and frustrated Rey. He blamed her. Frequently, his anger became physical when she informed him that they would have to try again.

Still, most of his cruelty was verbal. According to Unkar, Rey was a failure of a woman, unable to do something as simple as bear a son for him. “I thought having a daughter would be the worst failure,” he’d snarled one evening, “but I was wrong. This is much worse.” Rey had always been self-sufficient and prideful, but eventually the words started to erode at her spirit. More than anything, Rey was terrified that she would be unable to have a child--her only glimmer of hope to have someone to love and care for, and be loved in return. While she loved her father, she hadn’t felt like she’d been a part of a family since her mother died.

In late November, she began to see the Frost Demon’s flickers. One day while she was gathering snow to melt in the stove, she saw him when he was solid enough to touch. He passed her by, gazing at her in curiosity. She stared back. After a moment, she nodded once in greeting. He did not seem surprised that she could see him, but he was clearly surprised that she would acknowledge him. Most people who could still see him feared him, for he was both winter and death.

“You are a brave soul,” he said to Rey. His voice was deep and surprisingly warm.

Rey looked at him, indifferent. “Am I? Winter and death are both part of life. I don’t know why my acknowledgement would be brave.”

The Frost Demon gave her a look that she couldn’t quite interpret. It was something between curiosity and pity. “What is your name?” He asked.

She glanced away for a moment before answering, “I’m Rey.”

“Rey.” Her name in his voice sent a slither of something down into her belly. He continued, “My name is Kylo Ren.”

She made a thoughtful noise and said, “I didn’t realize Chyerti had names.”

He raised an eyebrow. “But I am no ordinary Chyerti. I am death itself.”

Still, Rey did not fear him. “Thank you for sharing your name, Kylo Ren. I hope I don’t see you again too soon,” she said, and gave a wry smile. His expression became amused before he nodded once and disappeared, blinking out of existence from one moment to another. She shook her head and carried her bucketful of snow back into the house.

* * *

That winter, the weather was particularly taxing. A blizzard appeared in the middle of December, causing the roads to be blocked and keeping Unkar from the nearby town. In mid-January, a severe ice storm swept through and made it impossible to venture very far outside. The horses in the barn struggled to stay warm, and the hay bales disappeared faster than they should have. The chickens, which had also been cooped up into the barn, became so cold that they stopped producing eggs, forcing Unkar to slaughter them for Rey to cook into soups and stews.

By early February, they both were more frustrated than ever over their lack of a child. The rough winter and the fact that his wife still had not given him an heir sent Unkar spiraling into a drunken rage one evening.

It was the first time that Rey had ever been truly frightened of her husband, rather than just disgusted. She had finally reached her breaking point. Late that night, when Unkar had consumed so much kvass that he passed out drunk, she packed a quick bag of supplies, layered on every item of clothing she owned, and left, closing the door behind her quietly just in case. 

Stepping outside, she gasped at just how cold it was. Breathing in made her lungs burn. Still, she would rather risk dying in the snow than returning to her house and her cruel husband. She walked for almost two hours before collapsing from exposure. She doubted that she had even made it very far from her house. The ice-covered snowdrifts made it impossible for her to travel quickly. She shivered so hard that she kept biting her tongue. She curled up against herself, fighting to maintain some semblance of warmth. But eventually, her body stopped shivering. By that point, she had become so tired that fighting to keep her eyes open was impossible. That’s when Rey knew that she was going to die.

She was not afraid. She probably should have been. Instead she was resigned. Accepting. Death was a part of life, as she had told Kylo Ren those months before.

Would she see Kylo Ren again? Would he carry her spirit into oblivion, or whatever awaited the dead?

As her mind began to fade, she thought she could hear the muffled sounds of horse hooves and a deep, masculine voice. Then Rey knew no more.

* * *

Awareness came to her slowly. The first thing she noticed was that she was warm--far warmer than she ever was during winter in her own home. The next thing she realized was that her body simultaneously felt numb and burned. Frostbite, she assumed. That was what made her realize that she definitely wasn’t dead. Would death hurt this much?

Rey’s eyes blinked open. Everything was fuzzy at first, but slowly came into focus. It was strange, however; one moment, she could swear she was in a forest grove, and the next, a warm cabin.

“Rey.” Kylo Ren’s deep, warm voice greeted from her right. She glanced over to find him sitting at a table covered in food. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Am I alive?” she asked. She couldn’t be sure, not in Kylo Ren’s presence. For all she knew, she was in a place between life and death.

Kylo’s lips quirked. “You’re alive,” he confirmed. Then his expression became grave. “But barely. Rey, what were you thinking? You would have died. You were on the brink of death. Your soul-- I very nearly had to carry it on.” He paused, as though the idea pained him.

She furrowed her brows and then winced. Even her face hurt. “I know,” she finally said, her voice hushed. “I was prepared to. I couldn’t take it anymore. I would rather have died than stayed with Unkar one moment more.”

Speaking this aloud made Rey feel as though poison was being drawn from a wound, cleansing her spirit. The knowledge of her abuse finally sank in, down into the marrow of her bones, festering, until her options became death by the elements or by her husband’s hands.

Kylo remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he said, “Come and eat, Rey. Then you must rest more.”

Walking to the table presented a problem. When she placed her feet onto the floor, pain shot up her legs and she cried out. Her skin was blue-black. Definitely frostbite. Her stomach sank. The only way to treat frostbite was amputation.

But then Kylo appeared by her side, kneeling down at her feet. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to her frostbitten flesh.

Rey nodded once, unsure what he was doing. He wrapped his hands around one of her feet. The next thing she knew was pure agony--like fire was licking at the damaged flesh. She couldn’t stop the scream from tearing out of her throat. Still, he did not let go. Then, without warning, the pain disappeared. When she looked down at the foot he was still holding, the discoloration was gone. Only healthy flesh remained.

“How?” she asked, her voice hoarse from her screams.

“I am Winter, remember?” he asked. “I can heal more, but it will hurt. Would you like me to continue?”

She sighed. It was that, or amputation. The choice was obvious. She nodded again.

He healed several more places on her body--her other foot, her hands, and even places on her face and ears. After he finished, Rey was able to walk to the table on her own, where she downed more food than she had eaten in one sitting in her entire life.

She needed no convincing after eating to return to the bed to sleep more.

Kylo allowed Rey to stay in his cabin, which was, somehow, also a mere wood grove. The magic of which Rey was conscious allowed her to see both. She stayed for several days, until she was ready to return home. She expressed concern to Kylo that returning days later to her husband would make things worse between them, but he reassured her that this house occupied space outside of time. This meant that Kylo could return Rey to Unkar’s house mere moments after he found her dying in the snow. Rey doubted that Unkar had woken in that time period, so it was likely safe for her to return without him realizing she had left.

She knew she must return. Despite the wide world that she always dreamed of exploring, she had nowhere else to go. Besides, Kylo agreed to put a little fear into the man. That should keep her safe, at least for a little while.

Scare the man, Kylo did. As Rey had suspected, when she entered the house, Unkar was still asleep where she’d left him. Her _dear husband_ woke to find himself in the spirit of death’s shadow. Kylo Ren roared and railed against Unkar. All Unkar could do was sputter and grovel, swearing that he would never again harm a hair on Rey’s head.

And he didn’t, until the following autumn. The harsh winter from the previous year had wiped out a large number of the village horses, and the rainy summer brought disease that wiped out yet another percentage of the horse population. The combination of a struggling business and the fact that they still didn’t have a child sent him over another tipping point. Then his depravity and malice continued, as if it had never stopped. 

* * *

The young girl looked at her mother with wide eyes, holding back tears. “You’re so brave, mama,” she said.

Rey smiled and brushed her fingers on the apple of her daughter’s cheek. “Thank you, love. I had to be. By that point, I knew that I was strong, but I was so close to breaking.” 

“So what did you do?”

Rey answered, “I allowed him to lie with me one last time before I was done--completely at my limit. With the help of the Domovoi, I liquored up my husband and left after he had passed out. For good.”

“Where did you go?” she wondered aloud.

“I wandered the forest in search of Kylo’s cabin. I had just started to give up when I stumbled upon it. The door was unlocked, so I let myself in and collapsed in the bed, and fell asleep immediately. When I woke, Kylo was there, lying beside me. I was so relieved to see him. He allowed me to find comfort in him, still surprised that I sought it out. Being with him… it was not like with my husband. Kylo was gentle and considerate.” 

Her daughter interrupted her here. “But Mama. Who is my father?” she asked, brow furrowed. 

“Shush,” Rey said, “and I will continue my story.”

* * *

Rey lived with Kylo in his cabin for several months. It was during this quiet, pleasant time that she learned she was pregnant. But because she had slept with both her husband and with Kylo since the last time she bled, she couldn’t be sure who the father was. Somehow, this did not frighten her. Her entire soul sang with the hope that the child was Kylo Ren’s. 

Kylo seemed more concerned than anything. He wasn’t there all the time; as a Frost Demon, he needed to ferry people away into the afterlife and continue to bring in winter storms. Still, he made sure that Rey was protected and stopped in to check on her frequently. 

They took time to explore each other and learn each other’s stories. After a time, Kylo told her his history: he was human once, long ago. He was born Ben Solo, but was cursed by greater spirits for his selfish ambition. “I thought I could defy even death. For that, they cursed me to be death itself,” he said, voice somber. “When my family died, I had to be the one to guide them to the afterlife. I’ve had to do so with every one of my relatives ever since.”

“Oh, Ben,” she whispered, his given name slipping out. His eyes widened in surprise and then softened.

“I’m…” he trailed off, and didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, she gave him a hug, and he buried his face into her shoulder. She suspected that he had intended to say something like, “fine,” or, “used to it,” but they both knew that this was not true. One could not grow accustomed to being a spirit of death, let alone when it meant you had to let your loved ones go in such a way.

The two of them made sure the other knew how much they were valued. Though Rey did spend quite a bit of time alone in the cabin, Ben found time to leave her gifts and tokens of his affection. When her morning sickness ended after the first three months, the growing child in her womb had her feeling ravenous for different foods, and so for every meal a great feast was spread out on the table, with every possible thing that Rey could crave available. Books of which Rey had never even heard were stacked on a side table for her to read. They left endearing letters for each other when they missed seeing the other.

Then one late winter day, their pleasant time together abruptly came to an end. Unkar died, and Kylo Ren had to guide him to the afterlife. His body was later found in his house, and since everyone believed Rey to be a witch, they blamed his death on her. The town wasn’t safe for her anymore, and she couldn’t stay in Ben’s cabin forever, for it would disappear and become a regular forest grove once Ben’s powers waned after the spring solstice.

Ben and Rey ventured south. She’d always dreamed of seeing the ocean, so they ventured to the coastal town of Hanna City. It was still north enough that Ben could travel there. Rey found a one-room place to stay, with Ben visiting when he could. And then Ben started to fade after the spring solstice; soon he would not be strong enough to physically touch Rey, or even be visible to her eyes. At the height of summer, she’d be lucky to even hear him. Her baby was expected right after the summer solstice, which was a cruel irony, especially if the child turned out to be his. Then she fretted--would the half-human child of a Frost Demon be safe in the summer? Ben wasn’t reassuring, since this was an unknown even for him.

When it became clear that summer was coming to stay and the solstice was only days away, Ben settled Rey down in her bed and stroked the side of her face, looking at her with such fondness that Rey felt an ache deep in her chest, bursting with the love she had for him. With the solstice so close, she could barely make out the feel of his hand on her. 

He murmured, “There is something that I haven’t told you, Rey. I hope you can forgive me, but I understand if you do not.”

The pleasant pain in her chest twisted into something uncomfortable. “What?” she asked, the word barely audible. She felt indescribably afraid for what he was going to say.

He did not break eye contact, so Rey could see every ounce of agony that Ben felt when he said, “The only way my curse can be lifted is by finding someone I love so much that I would welcome my own death. Rey, I could die right now and be happy.” Tears shone in his eyes and spilled over. Rey reached up to wipe them away, but her hands met empty air. “You make me so very happy, Rey. And this child…” he trailed off, placing a hand over her round belly, unable to touch it. “You both fill my heart with so much joy. And I think, no. I know. I _know_ this is my end. At least, in this life.”

“No,” Rey said, the word tearing from her lips. “ _No._ Ben, please don’t do this.” Rey wanted to scream. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to knock every item off of her shelves. This wasn’t fair. She was about to have their child (because even if the baby was Unkar’s, this baby was still Ben’s). They were finally happy _._

And then Rey understood: for centuries, Ben suffered. Even when he lost his desire to defeat death itself and just existed as death, he was forced to live while generation after generation of his family died. He deserved peace. He earned it long ago.

“I love you,” Rey gasped, and tears finally began to fall. “I love you.”

Ben focused as hard as he could. He was able to wipe the tears from her face, and then leaned down to press a kiss to her belly. “I am so proud of you, Rey,” he said. “You will make an amazing mother,” he said, his lips quirking at the edges. “I’m only sorry I won’t be there for you when she is born. I’m sorry I won’t get to help raise her. But I know you will raise our daughter right.”

Rey sobbed even harder.

“You made every minute of my cursed existence worthwhile. I’ll come to you in the sun and the warmth. I will find a way,” he whispered. “I will find a way back to you.” He closed his eyes. Instead of fading from view, as Rey anticipated he would, he began to dissolve into thousands of brilliant blue butterflies. They fluttered out the open window in a stream, until the final one gently brushed its wings against her wet cheeks and followed after.

She collapsed on the bed, crying and wailing so hard that it was difficult to breathe.

Then, minutes or possibly hours later, she wiped away her tears, cleaned her face, and forced herself to start to let Ben Solo go.

(And if she threatened every god and spirit in existence to make sure Ben found a way back to her, that was neither here nor there.)

Rey gave birth three weeks later, when she was not yet twenty. Her daughter was fine--healthy, even. For many years, she raised her daughter along Scarif’s warm southern coast. When her daughter was old enough, and enough time passed that Rey felt it was safe to do so, she returned back to the Hoth Mountains, determined to let her daughter live to her fullest.

A blue butterfly accompanied them on their journey north.

* * *

Her daughter tilted her head, still very confused, since Rey hadn’t clarified who her dad was, or why exactly they’d left Scarif to return to the hostile Hoth Mountains.

Suddenly, the ice rattled against the window as the storm increased in strength. Her daughter clung closer, fearful, but Rey just smiled. “You need not fear the storm, my daughter. It is in your blood. Have you not felt stronger since we moved here? Your papa is weakest during the summer solstice, but in the winter he comes to call.” 

And then a knock sounded on the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have not read the Winternight Trilogy or watched Goblin, I highly recommend them. Two of my favorite stories ever.


End file.
